Large Scale Central

Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad

General Discussion
#1

Garibaldi, on the Northern Coast of Oregon.

The last weekend in September we drove to Garibaldi, OR to ride the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, more fondly known as the “Oregon Coast Rattler” This was a special excursion to be pulled by the 2-6-2 McCloud River Railroad steam engine #25 now living on the OCSR as their main steam power. This was special to us as we had ridden behind this locomotive several times back in the 1970’s and 80’s when she was still pulling trains at McCloud, CA.

They keep their equipment in good running order and well painted in attractive color combinations. Here is a link http://www.oregoncoastscenic.org/

Number 25 pulling the cars into the station to load passenger’s for the three hour trip to Rockaway Beach and Wheeler then return to Garibaldi.

A photo run-by along the way

Enjoying the” fresh air car” on the return trip. It was a beautiful day, warm and sun-shiny, which doesn’t happen on the Oregon Coast all that often this time of year.

After returning to the yard we were able to watch them work on old #7, the Skookum that was last running on the Columbia River Belt Line in Washington State 63 years ago. Here are a couple of video clips that were posted a couple weeks after we were there. What makes this particularly interesting is that it is a compound Mallet used in logging service.

Here are a couple of clips of it running.

https://www.facebook.com/108162132544982/videos/576150612829830/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H9V4a_yh3w

In talking with some of the crew, we found out that they store a lot of equipment out at the old Naval Air Station south of Tillamook. Driving down there we found a lot of old train equipment stored outside and some inside the hanger, all that was very interesting, but. The Air Museum is located in an old World War II Blimp Hangar. This building is un-believable!!! The aircraft on display are interesting but the Hangar and its history are incredible.

In 1942 the US Navy constructed 17 of these hangars on bases on each coast to support the K class Blimps used for anti-submarine coast patrol. Two of these were built at the Tillamook station one burnt in 1992 and the remaining hanger was turned into a museum in 1994.

The building its self is 1072 feet long, 296 feet wide and 192 feet high (over 15 stories) that covers over 7 acres of real estate. The doors at each end are 120 foot high, 6 sections each weighing 30 tons (180 tons total) 220 foot wide opening. The sections roll on railroad tracks.

If you are ever in the area you have to check this place out.

http://www.tillamookair.com/

I forgot to mention that this hanger building is all wood framed from about 40 foot above ground to the roof peek at 192 feet up. Standing inside in the semi-darkness you can’t even really see the roof peek.

It was pretty much impossible to get a picture of the entire structure that was really able to show the huge size of this place. Go check the web site for more information.

Oh Ya, if you find yourself in Tillamook’ don’t miss touring the cheese and Ice cream plant. And get an ice cream cone! Their idea of a single scoop cone is about a pint of ice cream, no kidding, it’s huge. look here https://www.tillamook.com/creamery/index.html

One last picture of the Helium plant located in the hanger, all the Helium was delivered in canisters by railroad and pumped out to the hangers to “feed” the blimps stationed in the hangers.

All in all a great weekend get-away and learning the history of the local railroad and how it served the Naval Air Station during and after WWII was really interesting.

Rick

#2

If I’d have know about that place when we were out there in June, I’d have taken a drive over there. We were staying in Forest Grove for a wedding.

#3

I know those blimp hangars, we lived at Tongue Point Naval base in Astoria in 1957-59.

My brother and cousin Dan ‘won’ a navy contract to wash all the windows on the base, including 2 hangars … needless to say the family was enlisted to help them succeed!

#4

I would love to see a blimp hanger in person.

#5

Ray, there are blimp hangers not too far from you at the former MCAS Tustin in Orange County. When driving past them on the Newport Freeway (SR 55) you see two really big buildings but it’s not until they are viewed from the hills of Newport Beach that you begin to truly appreciate the enormous size of the buildings. I had the opportunity to visit one of them back in the late 1980s. At the time they housed helicopters, which were covered in heavy tarps. Someone asked why there were tarps and we were told that they protected the copters from the rain. The buildings were so large that they created their own atmosphere.

We were also told that the base would never close because it was the only place where training in all conditions and climates could take place without having to refuel. Of course, the base was closed in 1999. I was down that way a couple months ago and, quite frankly, having driven by them hundreds of time, I don’t recall even noticing them but I am told they are in disrepair and may be torn down. I don’t know if they give public tours or not.

#6

We go there every time we are over in Oregon - that is, Tillamook, and the OCSR. On occasion they make a run all the way to the end of line, at the Salmonberry River Canyon, after which which the track was washed away in a very bad flood in the early part of the century. It stranded a load of freight cars in Garibaldi, too. A few years back I took a cab ride in the Heisler, a real experience I followed up the following year with another cab-ride in the Sumpter Valley Heisler - enormous fun! ‘Don’t touch anything painted silver!’ advised the engineer. ‘It’s VERY hot!’ Ah, EVERYTHING was painted silver… for me the saddest thing to see in the GN F-something or other on the sideline in Garibaldi, with its paint fading away more every time we see it…sigh…